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Wednesday, 8 May 2019

Spurs Have Done It! Another Incredible Comeback As Moura Completes Hat-Trick In 96th-Minute To Book Champions League Final

Mauricio Pochettino is in absolute bits on the pitch there. You've never seen emotion like that from the Tottenham manager. Extraordinary, emotional scenes. Tottenham in the Champions League final against Liverpool. Two improbable comebacks in two nights.

5 – Lucas Moura has become just the fifth different player to score a hat-trick in a Champions League semi-final, after Alessandro Del Piero, Ivica Olic, Robert Lewandowski and Cristiano Ronaldo. Calibre. #AJATOT

Dele Alli flicks the ball into the area and Lucas Moura gets there to poke the ball into the bottom corner. What a finish, what a moment!

21:56

YELLOW CARD: Onana

A booking for time wasting for the Ajax goalkeeper.

21:55

Tottenham corner

90+4: Lloris is up! But it's headed over by Llorente.

21:55

Ziyech shot saved

90+3: Ajax break again. Ziyech shoots but Lloris saves and then Tadic curls the rebound over. Spurs are still in it. Can they just fashion a chance and get possession near the opposition box?

21:53

Alderweireld finds touch

90+2: Toby Alderweireld attempts a cross field ball to the left hand side but there's no one there and it floats out for a throw.

21:52

Ajax wind it down

Ajax break clear as Spurs lose the ball and are all out of shape in midfield. Tadic's ball to De Jong is overhit and Spurs get back to clear.

But Ajax have the ball in the Tottenham corner. But they lose it to a goal kick and now Spurs can come back at them.

21:51

FIVE MINUTES ADDED TIME

21:51

SUB: Van de Beek OFF, Magallan ON

Final sub of the night.

21:50

That kind of night

21:49

UNBELIEVABLE!

87 mins: What just happened?! Tottenham come close twice!

Vertonghen hits the bar with a header from six yards out and then Ajax get enough bodies on the line to block the rebound. How did that stay out?! Was that the moment?

Son Heung-min then shoots from an acute angle and hits the frame of the goal and it goes behind.

21:47

Edge of the seat

86 mins: The tension is palpable around the stadium now. Ajax are just about doing enough as Tottenham throw everything at them.

The hosts go upfield but tiredness betrays a few sloppy touches and allow Tottenham to nick it and break back. This is edge of the seat stuff.

Son shoots, deflects off Tagliafico and it's another corner for Spurs.

21:44

SUB: Rose OFF, Davies ON

21:43

Tottenham sense blood

82 mins: Ajax hanging on. So many bodies in the box as Tottenham camp on the edge of their area. The final ball not good enough though. Ajax are having half chances but they have no momentum at all.

21:42

SUB: Trippier OFF, Lamela ON

21:42

Ajax break

80 mins: Ajax break again through Ziyech but his pass to Tadic is a little short and he's tackled in the area. Some space starting to open up for them as we enter the final 10 minutes.

21:41

OFF THE POST!

79 mins: Hakim Ziyech shoots from the edge of the box and hits the foot of the post. Tottenham saved yet again. Is it going to be their net? Ajax have had their chances to put this to bed.

21:40

Tete a tete

21:38

YELLOW CARDS: Rose, Ziyech

Danny Rose gets a yellow card for petulance after a hand ball. Ziyech moments later bundles over Rose and enters the book for repeated foul play.

21:36

Sissoko goes full Sissoko

75 mins: Moussa Sissoko goes full Moussa Sissoko and skips through challenges on the halfway line, plays in Lucas Moura. The Brazilian gets to the byline and cuts back but it's agonisingly behind a team-mate.

21:35

Alderweireld heads wide

74 mins: Toby Alderweireld rises high at the Tottenham corner but heads wide of the far post.

21:33

Lloris saves Spurs

71 mins: Ajax break through Ziyech down the left. A delightful ball to the back post but Tadic gets in the way of Sinkgraven and it's a corner.

Spurs clear but Ajax come back at them. Lloris palms a cross away to de Ligt who smashes it back goalwards but Lloris gets enough on it to save.

Dolberg has done about as well tonight as you'd expect someone who didn't know he was playing until 10 minutes before kick-off.

21:28

SUB: Schone OFF, Veltman ON

In amongst all that Ajax made a sub, right after Moura's second goal. It's all Spurs though right now.

21:27

Bedlam

21:26

Moura shot blocked

65 mins: Up the other end and Lucas Moura nearly has a hat-trick as the ball falls for him in the area but his effort is blocked. Spurs have come to life.

21:25

Ziyech curls it wide

64 mins: Let off for Spurs. Ajax have started playing football again, Tadic picks out Ziyech in the area and he curls his left footed effort just wide of the post. This is end-to-end stuff. Any scoreline is possible here.

21:24

Spurs need ONE more

63 mins: Spurs have been brilliant since the break, and just like Liverpool last night they have scored two in quick succession before the hour mark. We have half an hour to go and Spurs just need one more! This is incredibly set up now.

21:22

Hello. Hello. Here we go!

21:20

GOAL! Ajax 2-2 Tottenham (Moura)

IT'S ON. IT'S ON.

Son feeds Trippier on the right, his low cross is met by Llorente but his effort is straight at Onana. He can't fumbles the ball as he goes to claim it and it squirms loose to Lucas Moura who keeps his composure, keeps the ball on his toes and fires the ball into the bottom corner. WOW!

21:16

GOAL! Ajax 2-1 Tottenham (Moura)

Danny Rose picks out Lucas Moura, who slips it into Dele Alli and Spurs are suddenly running at the Ajax defence. Dele Alli jinks inside, he's run it a little too far but Lucas Moura is there, takes a touch and slots it into the bottom corner. GAME ON!

21:15

WHAT A SAVE!

54 mins: Tottenham work it well around the edge of the area and Eriksen spots the run of Dele Alli but Onana makes a brilliant reflex save. as he fires a shot towards the near post. Llorente heads the resulting corner over.

21:14

Tottenham started well

52 mins: Spurs have started well here, seeing a lot of the ball in the Ajax half. They have a corner as a ball into the box is headed behind by an Ajax man. Eriksen's corner headed away and then Rose fouls Dolberg.

21:11

YELLOW CARD: Dolberg

Danny Rose strides forward with purpose but his ball into the box is poor and doesn't beat the first man. Tottenham need to do better in these situations.

Dolberg then takes out Rose in the middle of the pitch for a yellow.

21:08

Spurs nearly in

46 mins: Early opportunity for Tottenham with a ball in behind the Ajax defence but De Ligt extends one of his long legs to take it off Dele Alli.

Dusan Tadic beats Kieran Trippier to a 50-50 and plays the ball in behind him. He's then fed down the left, enters the area, pulls it back to Ziyech on the edge of the box who unleashes a pearler of a curling effort into the top corner. What a goal.

20:34

Action shots

20:33

Tadic shoots just wide

30 mins: Dusan Tadic runs rings round Toby Alderweireld down the left after Victor Wanyama was outmuscled by van de Beek in the middle.

Tadic enters the area, ghosts past the defender but his effort on the left foot is just wide.

20:29

Spurs imposing themselves

28 mins: Tottenham getting a lot of joy by just running directly at this Ajax side. They've retreated back towards their own goal and Dele Alli is the latest to slalom his way through. Spurs force a corner.

Kieran Trippier looks to be struggling with a groin injury.

Lucas Moura meets the cleared corner on the edge of the box but spanners a volley well wide.

20:26

Son and Eriksen shots saved

23 mins: Spurs make inroads down the left. Danny Rose marauds up field and is fouled, but advantage is played as Dele Alli picks up the ball and threads a delightful pass into the path of Son in behind the defence. His shot is a little tame and well saved by Onana.

Spurs go back a minute later and Lucas Moura bulldozes his way into the area, finds Christian Eriksen but his shot is straight at the keeper. Better now from Spurs.

16 mins: Tottenham may be behind but it's been a much better start than they managed in the first leg a week ago. The presence of Son helps to give them something to aim for, but they just look a bit more purposeful and composed.

10 mins: Good signs going forward for Tottenham. Dele Alli with two chances but he's denied by Frenkie De Jong and then is offside as Christian Eriksen picks him out.

Looks like Alli will be tasked with getting up to support Lucas Moura and Son Heung-min tonight, which is exactly what they need.

20:11

Striking early

20:09

Son hits the post!

7 mins: Son Heung-min races down the left to the byline. Onana anticipates the cross but Son goes for goal and his cheeky effort crashes off the post. It bounces just too far away from Eriksen and Ajax clear. That was mighty close to an immediate response.

20:06

GOAL! Ajax 1-0 Tottenham (De Ligt)

5 mins: And from the resulting corner Matthijs de Ligt heads the ball into the bottom corner, rising above Dele Alli to power home. What a header.

VAR check proceeds with a Spurs body on the deck as the ball came in, but the goal stands! Nightmare start for Spurs.

20:06

Tadic shot saved

4 mins: Ajax seeing a lot of the ball in the early stages here, as you would expect. Spurs just need to ride the early wave and make it count when they do see the ball through the likes of Eriksen and Dele.

Ball bouncing around the area and de Beek's effort is blocked.

BIG SAVE! Dusan Tadic in space on the left, attacks the box and his shot is palmed away by Lloris.